Tiffany Score and Steven Mills gave birth to a baby girl in December 2024 after undergoing IVF treatment at the Fertility Clinic of Orlando. Genetic testing after birth confirmed that the couple are not the biological parents of the child, whom they named Shea, according to multiple reports. The couple had been trying to conceive for years and turned to IVF as a last resort, but the mix-up has left them devastated yet determined to raise Shea as their own.
The couple sued the clinic and fertility doctor Milton McNichol for negligence in January 2025, major media outlets reported. The lawsuit requested that the clinic help unite Shea with her genetic parents and account for the couple's missing embryos. The legal action seeks damages for emotional distress and the cost of future medical care, according to court documents.
Multiple families believe they may be related to Shea.
Genetic testing results delivered on Tuesday identified another couple, referred to as Patient 004, as Shea's biological parents, according to major media reports. Score and Mills initially said they felt a moral obligation to find Shea's genetic parents, but now want to keep raising her as their own. The couple is respecting the privacy of Shea's genetic parents, who have not been named publicly. The biological parents have been informed of the situation but have not made any public statements.
It is unclear if the couple will get to keep custody of Shea. The couple is also concerned about the fate of their own embryos, wondering if they were used elsewhere or still stored. Legal experts say custody battles over embryos are rare and the outcome will depend on state laws and the specifics of the case.
According to the couple's attorney, multiple families believe they may be related to Shea. DNA tests were launched on people who had embryo implantations at the clinic to identify Shea's biological parents, according to the couple's attorney. According to the couple's attorney, about a dozen people may have been affected by similar embryo mix-ups at the same clinic. The investigation is ongoing, and the clinic has not commented on the allegations.